03x03 - Rat Packed

[bunniefuu]

Previously on CSI: Vegas...

FOLSOM: My mother, they k*lled her.

ROBY: You cannot investigate

the death of a family member.

TREY: Jeanette Folsom, who did it?

KAHN: I'm not telling either
one of you a damn thing.

FOLSOM: Kahn Schefter k*lled my mother.

I'm not sure you're gonna
keep your job, Josh.

- Isn't that your decision?
- No.

GILL: That's Nora Cross,
Internal Affairs.

You have the Garrity rule.
You don't have to say a thing.

FOLSOM: Trey and I were here
that night with Kahn Schefter.

We asked him who had k*lled my mom.

- It was him.
- Where did you get this?

Detective Chavez.

I think we both know this isn't working.

But was it ever working?

ROBY: It'll be interesting to see

how the review board interprets it.

They won't. They want you to testify.

They want me to put
a nail in his coffin.

["I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN"
BY TONY BENNETT AND LADY GAGA]

♪ I've got you ♪

♪ Under my skin ♪

♪ But each time I do ♪

♪ Just the thought of you ♪

♪ Makes me stop before I begin ♪

♪ 'Cause I've got you... ♪

Oh. Well, hello, gorgeous.

They're just so disgusting.

Where the hell are
they even coming from?

These sweeties? Uh...

probably got a dead roof rat
somewhere around here.

There are rats in the roof?

No, no, no. They're
probably in your walls.

Um, roof rat is just a
common term that we use...

WOMAN: There. They're in there.

Just get the wall open
and get rid of them.

No. No, ma'am. I...

I don't have the tools that you'd need,

- and, I mean, let's not be hasty here.
- [SIGHS] Fine.

If you won't...

Hey, guys. Help us out, please?

[SAW WHIRRING]

[RETCHING]

Huh.

Well, there is your problem.

[WOMAN GASPS]

You know, our exterminator
refused to touch the wall.

Maybe he already knew
the dead body was there.

He's always been creepy.

Uh, you folks are gonna rip up
the whole guest house, aren't you?

No, we'll talk to the city first.

WILLOWS: So nice of you to show up

after I got to pick up all the maggots.

FINADO: Sorry, my oldest
forgot her inhaler.

She's doing the mile at gym today.

I had to do a drop-off
detour or risk her wrath.

- She's a freshman?
- Mm-hmm.

Yeah, that's a fun age.
Don't worry about it.

You can worry about it a little.

There were a lot of maggots.

So, what do we got here?

We got a radar stud finder.

Should give us a preview
of coming attractions.

Lumber, pipes, wires...

And dudes.

FINADO: Is that dead guy...

jaunty?

Hi, Nora, I'm sorry I'm late.

Dr. Roby.

Things have been just crazy
around here and I'm-I'm...

- Shorthanded. I get it.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Just as long as you're on time
for the sheriff's review board.

- Yeah.
- Folsom's hearing is at 2:00.

Believe me, I am aware.

I just want to go over
the order of operations.

I gotcha.

It's like a court hearing.

I present my findings,
you give your assessment,

then Mr. Folsom will have
an opportunity to speak.

Mm-hmm. And then the
review board decides

whether or not to drop the hammer.

You'll be tempted to pull your punches.

Don't.

It's your duty to present
the board with the truth.

Nora, I did not get where I am

by pulling punches.

[PHONE CHIMES]

Oh.

And right now, I have some
other responsibilities

'cause apparently,
Frank Sinatra just d*ed.

- Hmm. I thought you were joking.
- Oh, I know my Rat Pack.

Whoever this guy is, was,

he has Ol' Blue Eyes down cold.

His blue eyes are
actually colored contacts.

According to his license,
this is Benji Herron.

Got a guess on time of death?

His liver temp's same as ambient

and he's out of rigor, so
I'd say 48 hours ago. Ish.

WILLOWS: If it weren't
for the s*ab wounds,

I'd say Frankie here was napping.

He doesn't even smell like decomp.

What-what is that? Is that vanilla?

[SNIFFING]

Huh. He's got maggots in
his mouth. How lovely.

WILLOWS: And confusing.

I mean, if he smells
like Bloomingdale's,

and it's only been two days,

that's not enough time
for the larva to hatch.

Maybe the maggots aren't
coming from Sinatra.

[SAW WHIRRING]

Multiplying corpses.

I really gotta make
bingo cards for this job.

- FINADO: That's Joey Bishop.
- Huh?

We got Frank Sinatra over there.
This guy is Joey Bishop.

He's the least famous
of Sinatra's sidekicks.

So we got, not one,

but two different dead Rat Pack
impersonators in this wall?

Well, you better warn all
your Sammys and Dinos.

You're nobody till somebody kills you.

♪ Who... are you? ♪

♪ Who, who, who, who? ♪

♪ Who... are you? ♪

♪ Who, who, who, who? ♪

♪ I really wanna know ♪

♪ Who... are you? ♪

- ♪ Oh-oh-oh ♪
- ♪ Who... ♪

♪ Come on, tell me who
are you, you, you ♪

♪ Are you! ♪

Which one is Sinatra and
which one is Gary Bishop?

Joey Bishop.

Don't let Beau hear you mix those up.

His wallet says he's Sam Carriman.

Decomp says he's been dead a week.

PARK: Sinatra, aka Benji Herron,

looks to have d*ed much more recently.

So two different att*cks,
but same day delivery?

Construction workers say this
corpse-infested section of the wall

was built over the weekend.
They were surprised it was up

when they came in Monday.

Nobody saw nothing.

There was a party on Saturday,

and Frankie was booked
for an appearance.

But not Barry.

- Sam.
- Aka Joey.

You'll get the hang of it.

I sent Beau with Chavez
to, uh, the agency

that supplied the
impersonators to ask around.

- Oh, you two split up?
- WILLOWS: Well, he owes me.

Hmm, what's this?

Anybody see any feathers?

Huh.

Wouldn't that be great if it
was trace from the k*ller?

[WOMAN CRYING]

You're sure it's Benji?

I'm sorry.

Though he did have us thinking

he was the real Frank
Sinatra for a minute.

Benj was a stickler for details.

Oh, he was the best Sinatra in town.

The voice, that bone structure...

The hot-and-cold personality.

Looks like he was the star
of Stars of the Strip.

Your business going to be okay?

Oh, I'm not crying about the money.

Benji's daddy to this one.

FINADO: Oh, um, I'm so sorry.

When was the last time you saw him?

Three nights ago

at Tovah Eisenstein's bat mitzvah.

We had a crazy week.

Sinatra played a bat mitzvah?

The Eisensteins wanted Taylor
Swift and Olivia Rodrigo,

but both girls got food poisoning

so I-I just, I rounded up
everyone who wasn't booked.

I even got back into my
old Liz Taylor getup.

- How'd that go over?
- Teenage girls are...

very cruel.

Well, uh, we're going to need to talk

to every performer
that worked that night.

Yeah, I'm gonna need to see
any feathers that they have.

Sam and Benji?

You gotta feel for the
rest of their crew.

CHAVEZ: The Rat Pack?

Yeah, they really only
got group bookings.

Except Benji.

I guess Sinatra was pretty famous?

MAN: He brought in the cash, all right.

And he let everybody know it.

Like it's that hard to put on
a suit and hold a whiskey.

I'd like to see him rock 15 pairs
of bedazzled glasses a night.

Okay, so, you weren't a fan?

Maybe, if he wasn't such a braggart.

Braggart? [LAUGHS]

Benji was a drama queen.

And that's compared to
a joint full of people

pretending to be famous.

FINADO: So, Dolly... uh, Ms. Parton,

did anyone have beef with Benji?

Gosh, who didn't at some point?

He was, like, I don't want to
talk bad about a dead guy,

but Benji was kind of a...

He was a right bastard.

Drove us all mad,

always talking about how many offers

he had to jump ship to other agencies.

And what about Sam Carriman?

Oh. Poor Sam.

Benji, I could see
somebody whacking him,

but Sam was such a sweetheart.

- A pushover.
- What do you mean?

Sam Carriman was a huge talent.

He actually could've been
a great Sinatra himself.

But not with Benji around.

Benji never would've let anybody
thr*aten his place on top.

He bullied Sam into
playing fifth banana.

I mean, who's even heard of Joey Bishop?

Uh, he's actually a real talent

and an important part of Rat Pack lore.

Oh.

Real feather eyelashes?

Don't knock it till you try it. [LAUGHS]

When was the last time you saw Sam?

- At the bat mitzvah.
- Wait, Sam was there?

Uh, we got a list of performers

that were sent to the party.

He wasn't on it.

Listen, girl, I was surprised, too.

I thought Sinatra was flying solo,

but there was half the Rat
Pack jawing at each other.

They were arguing?

- About what?
- No idea.

I scooted right after my set.

I was not about to dawdle in
a room of malicious tweens.

Well, thank you for your time... Dolly.

Sure, sugar.

[SIGHS]

No dice. Looks like we'll be stuck
in Kook-ville for a while yet.

Kook-ville?

Yeah, my youngest dressed as Peppa Pig

to go trick-or-treating this year.

Even she knows Halloween is one
day a year, and she's seven.

I think you're just grouchy that none
of the feathers were a match.

I just hope our victims have
more interesting things to say

than this crew.

JACK: Now, most of these have a diameter

of one and a quarter inch,

so I'd say wounds are consistent.

And I'd say you look amazing, hon.

Come on, now. Can you give
me that light over there?

So you think both victims were
att*cked with the same blade?

Yes, ma'am. It's likely.

But I'm not so sure they were wielded

- by the same attacker.
- Excuse me?

- These wounds on Sam?
- Mm?

They all hit major blood
vessels and organs.

Whoever k*lled him knew
how to inflict swift fatality.

Whereas Benji's wounds
are haphazard at best.

I mean, did the k*ller just
forget what he was doing

because he faced off against Sinatra?

ROBY: Maybe he was starstruck.

- [CHUCKLES]
- Hmm.

What is it, Pen?

Well, word is both of them
were alive three days ago.

Really?

That's not what I would've
guessed based on decomp.

Sam is a host to
significant insect activity.

I guessed he'd been dead a week.

Whereas Benji looks like he's
just sleeping one off, right?

He was a very attractive man, and...

... he had his admirers.

I found this on one of
Benji's shirt buttons

when I was prepping him.

No bulb to run DNA.

All right, it's better than nothing.
What else you got?

Uh, Benji's got a broken
fingernail here...

... and scratches on that finger there.

May not be probative,
but we like to be thorough.

And I was just about to
check his stomach contents.

Pen, want to give me a hand?

Oh.

Oh?

Maggots.

Which we found in his mouth
too, so not a super shocker,

- but this... is odd.
- ROBY: A green pellet.

- Could be strychnine.
- You're good, Dr. Roby.

There were traces in his tox screen.

I thought maybe the k*ller
slipped it in his food

to weaken him before the att*ck.

Rat poison to k*ll the Rat Pack.

[LAUGHS]

ROBY: Looks like we need to have
another chat with Mr. Pest Control.

CHAVEZ: Doesn't look
good for you, Rollie.

Rat poison is kind of your
stock and trade, no?

WILLOWS: Mrs. Eisenstein says

that you didn't want
to look in the wall.

Did you already know
there was a body in there?

No, of-of course not.

Marty and Trish Eisenstein also told me

you were at their property
on the day of the murders.

I was there in the morning.

Marty was very clear

he didn't want to see
any creepy-crawlies

on his princess's special day.

- Why would I hurt anyone?
- CHAVEZ: I don't know, Rollie.

You know, but we've had a
lot of K*llers in that chair,

and you're one of the very
few who does it for a living.

I love insects and rodents.

They're fascinating.

Okay? k*lling them isn't
personal. It's just business.

And if I were going to k*ll
someone at the Eisensteins',

I wouldn't leave the body
in the guest house.

No?

[SCOFFS] No. There's
a rats' nest in a tree

just over the property line.

The smell would bring them
straight to the decay buffet.

Rats attract attention.

You want to hide a body,
it'd be better if you put it

by the dehumidifier unit in the attic.

Or in Mrs. E's organic composter.

Or in the pit that they dug

when they moved the
pool 12 feet east. Or...

- if-if-if I can move quickly...
- [MICROPHONE TURNS OFF]

Well, I'm officially creeped out.

I... [SIGHS] I know we're evidence
people, not instinct people,

but do we really think
this guy graduated

from-from pesticide to homicide?

[BEEPING]

That's the third time
you've checked your watch.

Is everything okay?

Just thinking about Josh.

His review board starts today.
You ever seen one of those?

I hope I never do.

Now you're freaking me out.

I can't imagine this
place without Folsom.

[READING QUIETLY]

[DOOR OPENS]

Let's get started. Ms. Cross?

CROSS: In my interview with Mr. Folsom,

he largely exercised
his right to silence

under the Garrity rule.

He made no admission of misconduct.

However, the facts are that
he posted bail for Trey Cahill

in violation of department regulations.

They k*lled her. Jeannette.

Mr. Folsom and Mr. Cahill

were then alone for several hours

with the man who m*rder*d
Mr. Folsom's mother, Jeanette.

Tell me who k*lled my mother.

CROSS: The scene was
cleaned in a way consistent

with someone of Mr. Folsom's skill,

and the only evidence found

from those missing hours
was Mr. Folsom's fingerprint

in his mother's blood.

Dr. Roby, what do you make
of this blood evidence?

Taking everything into account,

I think Joshua Folsom took some of
his mother's blood from the morgue

- without authorization.
- ZHAO: Why would he do that?

Wh-What is that?

This is my mother's blood.

Not yours.

I don't know.

Josh Folsom has an
impeccable track record.

He... he has been my most
reliable analyst for years.

I've-I've-I've known
what to expect from him.

But I cannot explain any of this.

I think...

I think... this his most recent behavior

is profoundly unacceptable.

Only he knows what
happened in that hangar.

He may very well be guilty
of serious misconduct.

I don't know. None of us knows.

However...

However?

Absolutely no member of law enforcement,

after having done any of this,

could continue in their
post without sanction.

_

Worked out the wonky decomp rates?

I think so. Come take a look at this.

Right here is the flipside of the wall

where we found Sam Carriman.

This section gets full sun
exposure all day here.

The heat would accelerate decomp,

but this is where Benji
Herron's body was walled up.

It doesn't get any direct sun.

That's great, Penny, but it
only gets us halfway there.

It might explain Sam's condition, but...

Yeah, I know, even in the shade,

Benji should still be gooier than he is.

PARK: Uh...

I might be able to explain that.

Hmm.

This, uh, got a little
lost in the shuffle

when we found a second body.

It's the, uh, drywall panel
that covered Benji.

We were wondering why
he didn't look dead-er...

And we've already ruled out
chemicals, environment,

and, I don't know, time travel?

Right. There's one thing
we haven't considered.

What if the maggots
weren't eating Sinatra?

What if... [GRUNTS]

it was the other way around.

He was still alive when he
was sealed up in the wall.

[SCREAMS]

[SIGHS]

[GRUNTS] Oh, oh...

Easy.

You know you're not actually
supposed to k*ll me, right?

Isn't the point to replicate the
crime as closely as possible,

including the amount of force used?

All we're trying to do is figure out

how someone so good with a Kn*fe

made such crappy wounds on Benji,

which does not equate to "let's
break Chris's ribs for fun."

Science requires sacrifice.

I hope we're not spilling
any real blood down here.

I wouldn't put it past her.

You shouldn't.

I come bearing GCMS results.

Uh, strychnine pellets at the scene

and in Benji's stomach had a total
concentration of five milligrams.

That would k*ll a rat, not a human.

WILLOWS: Odds are, he was
eating whatever he could

after he got walled in.

His little strychnine snack
was just an accident.

So are we completely
off the exterminator?

We're not ruling anyone out.

We are solving a dual Kn*fe att*ck.

Well... we're trying to.

WILLOWS: Okay, so Benji's got
a laceration across the chest,

a shallow penetrating wound
in the low abdomen,

this one hits a rib.

Well, I mean, this guy's
all over the place.

PARK: Sam's wounds are, uh,
more severe and consistent.

Concentrated on the
right side of the body,

so, if he were facing his attacker...

Indicates a left-handed k*ller.

We think our guy is a southpaw

who injured his good hand
in the att*ck on Sam.

He had to use his weaker hand
on the second att*ck on Benji.

Hence, the imprecise wounds.

Find a left-handed suspect,

and he'll probably have an
injury to his dominant hand.

How many of those
impersonators are lefties?

I'm a suspect because I'm left-handed?

Isn't that the kind of logic they used

in, like, the Spanish Inquisition?

We're not burning you at the stake.

We're doing our jobs.

You play dress-up. We consider evidence.

CHAVEZ: Like these wounds.

Science says a lefty made them.

- I couldn't.
- FINADO: You could.

You'd have the angle in
those platform boots.

We suspect the k*ller injured
himself during the att*ck.

Stars of the Strip posted this

from your last gig on social media.

[MUSIC PLAYING OVER PHONE]

CHAVEZ: Hmm.

You're faking it.

Maybe because you busted
your hand murdering Sam.

Look, lady, I always fake the piano.
I got to remember the words

to six decades' worth of hits.

You think I've got time to
learn to play them, too?

All the glitter keeps
the focus off the fakery,

but I promise you...

... no injuries here.

SWANSON: Look, we knew
day one would be rough.

But the Garrity rule
exists for a reason.

Everyone understands you have a right

- to silence and...
- Hold on, hold on.

Dr. Roby.

What the hell was that back there?

It's one thing to appear impartial,

- but...
- I'm not the one. Josh.

It's okay. Max.

You really think I should get fired?

Our job is to speak for the victims,

to get justice for the victims,

not to go exact that justice.

The man who k*lled your mom,

you could've ruined any
chance of convicting him.

Kahn is dead,

and I'm not sorry about that.

I am my mother's son.

If somebody that
Jeanette loved got hurt,

she would burn the city down for them,

- and that's how I was raised.
- And you walked away from that life

because there was no future there.

And then you made a choice.

Well, choices have consequences.

So why are you lurking at my door?

Are you running the swabs of blood
Benji Herron left in the wall?

Mm-hmm.

That's interesting.

What is it?

Allie's new partner system,

um, sometimes, Chris and I
have to hand off the samples

that we collect

instead of running them ourselves,

but I don't like not knowing
what happens to my evidence

because it feels like I'm
leaving the job unfinished.

- You want to finish this one?
- Yes.

MiSeq results are almost in.

Interesting.

Spit it out, Penny.

How's Folsom's review board going?

So we are set to meet
later again this afternoon.

He's coming back, right?

It's not up to me.

But if it was?

[COMPUTER BLIPPING]

ROBY: The DNA in the drywall

is a mixture.

Benji Herron and...

... Sam Carriman?

Wait, hold on.

We thought Sam was k*lled before Benji.

Why would his DNA be on Benji?

We've been thinking that
both men were k*lled

by some unknown assailant.

But this would seem to indicate

that Benji and Sam fought each other.

That can't be the entire story
though, either, right? Because...

Somebody had to put
them both in the wall.

And whoever did is
responsible for Benji's death.

And I think I might know
how to find them.

The Eisensteins said that this
plastic was laid out on the floor

before it was used to wrap Sam's body.

If we identify the marks that came
from Sam and Benji's death,

anything else could come from the
person that put them in the wall.

A ton of fluids and ketones

leaked from the bodies during autolysis.

That mess contaminated most of
the markings and trace here.

But we still can't rule out
anything that might be useful

in the areas that weren't
covered in... corpse juice.

So, what, ALS?

I'll hit the lights.

♪ ♪

Pink is blood.

Yellow is shoe prints.

Orange is the mystery tracks.

It's a construction site.

It could be heavy equipment.

FINADO: At least the
spatter and the footprints

give us a nice map of
Sam and Benji's fight.

Want to dance, Finado?

Let's rumble, Park.

GILL: These are Benji's
wing tips moving like this.

Right.

GILL: And then Sam's loafers are here.

Like this?

GILL: We got low-velocity
blood drops here.

So, if you s*ab me...

Then Benji must have taken
the Kn*fe away from him.

GILL: Poor Sam.

I mean, Benji knew what he was doing.

He was an Army vet with
close combat training.

Benji was left-handed.

So if he stabbed him on this side,

low-velocity droplets would end up...

GILL: Here.

But there aren't any.

Something was standing
in the way of the spatter.

That might be where our
mystery observer was standing.

They just stood there

and watched Sam and
Benji k*ll each other.

- PARK: That's cold.
- We got to go back to the crime scene.

There might be blood there
we missed the first time.

♪ ♪

The gap in the blood was here.

Our observer could be
watching from here.

Fight happened right in here.

Yeah, the shoe prints
from the plastic sheeting

show Sam and Benji fighting there.

Sam's att*ck on Benji was messy,

leaving wild blood drops all over.

Directional spatter heading this way

would land... here.

Yeah, blood was cast off from there.

Probably from Benji
hitting Sam's artery.

No one walked away from the fight.

Frank Sinatra and Joey Bishop,

performing for an audience of one.

Pale imitations, anyway.

All right. [LAUGHS]

Did an Elvis impersonator steal your
lunch money when you were six

- or something?
- No, I just think i-it's a waste of a life,

pretending to be someone else.

[SCOFFS]

I don't...

I don't know how you survived
in Vegas this long.

Listen, to each their own, okay?

You know, S&M, I get it.

Pony play? Giddy-up.

Furries. I don't know,
maybe if you squint.

Look. I get having fantasies, all right?

But, I mean, these people, their-their
fantasy is to be someone else.

I mean, it's just sad.

I-I get our victims
deserve our best effort.

They just don't all deserve
our highest esteem.

WILLOWS: I think they
would settle for answers

about who k*lled them.

- Hand me the phenolphthalein?
- Yep.

More blood all right.

I mean, I'll sample the DNA,
but if it came from either vic,

it's not gonna get us closer
to whoever walled them up.

Ow.

Found another feather and some fabric.

I know that color.

FINADO: Oh. [COUGHS]

That's a, that's a lovely fragrance.

Sorry.

I wear a White Diamonds
knockoff when I do Liz Taylor.

Guess it picked up the scent.

- This is your vest?
- Why?

We found feathers that appear to
match this vest at the crime scene.

Hold on.

That vest was given to me.

The night of the Eisenstein bat mitzvah.

Doug noticed I was chilly
and he told me to keep it.

- Who's Doug?
- You met him.

- Dolly.
- The Dolly Parton impersonator?

[SIGHS]

I guess it would make sense.

Benji and Doug had a... a fling.

I thought it was over.

I guess not.

They found a blonde hair on Benji.

I think we got the wrong impersonator.

DOUG: Yes, I was back there earlier.

Benji had this... allure.

That's how he landed Lynda.

And everyone else.

The man was allergic to monogamy.

How long were you two involved?

Too long.

I wanted to be done with him, but...

we were, you know...

Islands in the stream?

My feelings were real.

When he said he was
moving out of Lynda's,

I got my hopes up.

But he just liked being with Dolly.

Not Doug.

CHAVEZ: So, what, that made
you mad enough to k*ll him?

DOUG: I see how some
of y'all look at me,

but I am not crazy.

I'm not a k*ller.

I'm just a man who feels most myself

when I'm dressed like Dolly Parton.

- But I'd never hurt anyone.
- CHAVEZ: That's great, Doug.

But you were with Benji
at the crime scene.

DOUG: Yes. We had fun,

but Lynda will tell you,
I didn't k*ll anybody.

She saw us come back together.

She did?

_

[DOOR OPENS]

[EXHALES]

So you're not dead.

Al, what are you doing here?

I'm here because you
forgot how phones work.

You didn't answer my
texts or my voice mails.

I don't know what there is to say.

Max gave her testimony yesterday.

She... dropped the hammer.

She doesn't want me back at the lab.

Josh. We all want you back.

I'm on the wrong side of
a microscope in there.

[SCOFFS]

Everybody's... studying me.

Like Nora Cross says I'm a criminal.

Trey says I... forgot where I came from.

Max says I lost my way.

What do you say?

You could clear everything up.

You think I should testify.

I think it's up to you.

If you let everyone else have their say

and never tell your side of the story...

... can you live with whatever happens?

Look, one thing I've learned
since I came to CSI,

it's that you'll figure things out.

No matter what...

... you've got friends.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Mr. Folsom, this portion of our
hearing tends to go quickly.

It's my understanding you plan to assert

your right to remain silent...

No, I can explain the evidence
that you've all seen and heard.

Then by all means, do so.

Dr. Roby is right.

I took my mother's blood
from the morgue.

I had a plan to manipulate
Kahn Schefter into...

revealing information about her m*rder.

There was a boxcutter.

FOLSOM: That's my radial artery.

I used the boxcutter to
pierce the blood bags.

And Kahn was under the
impression that the blood

was coming from his arm.

It was...

only a psychological tactic.

But it was extreme

and runs counter to the,
to the standard of conduct

the department expects from us.

Did you use your CSI credentials

to access Raphael Tarquenio's hangar?

I did.

I know it's this board's
job to judge my actions.

And my actions were...

No! Fols!

I almost took justice into my own hands.

Kahn Schefter k*lled my mother.

But Trey Cahill stopped me and...

... whatever his faults,

he's why I'm not in a
courtroom right now.

Max has worked hard

to rebuild the crime lab's reputation,

and I know how damaging
this could have been.

I let, I let grief get the better of me.

It might be understandable,

but it is unacceptable.

Even if it's not to the
board, it is to me.

I thought I'd find you in layout.
What are you doing in ballistics?

Nobody got sh*t.

Well, I-I figured the comparison
scope was the best way to examine

the feathers from the crime scene

with Lynda Tasker's vest side-by-side.

- WILLOWS: And?
- Oh, it's a visual match.

Well, PCR amplification
on DNA from the calamus...

The what-amus?

Well, it's the feather's hollow shaft.

Bottom line,

the feathers from Lynda's
vest and Sam's nose

are genetically identical.

Both samples are goose down
from the same goose.

Lynda was at the crime scene.

Well, any defense attorney would argue

that doesn't prove that Lynda was
there, just that her vest was,

and besides, I mean, she's pregnant,
she's got a broken ankle,

she's in a wheelchair.

We have reasonable doubt out the wazoo.

I'm almost positive that Lynda did this,

and I think we can prove it.

We just need a little
help from her victims.

I can't get over how
different these two look.

You'd think that they d*ed a few
days apart, not a few hours.

All the bugs love Sam.

That's why we're here. Maggot me.

May I please have the fly larvae
you removed from Sam's cadaver?

We're here for maggots?

I have a theory.

♪ ♪

Beau. Is that what I think it is?

It is. Pureed maggots.

Randy uses that blender to
make his breakfast smoothies.

Oh, not anymore.

I needed it to prep a
sample for the QToF.

[CLEARS THROAT]

Benzyl acetate,

diethyl phthalate.

Okay, there's a laundry
list of chemicals here.

So, the maggots ate all of this?

Well, it sounds like a longer
menu than it really is.

When you put it all together,

it's a fragrance called Violet Romance.

It's a knockoff of White Diamonds.

The Elizabeth Taylor perfume?

Lynda was dressed like Liz Taylor.

Mm-hmm. And that scent was
all over that puffy vest of hers.

So, if the maggots consumed
traces of that perfume

left on Sam Carriman's body...

Yeah, the molecules
transferred onto Sam's skin

when Lynda wrapped him in the plastic.

And since we know that insects

are attracted to strong fragrances...

We finally know why

there was so much more postmortem
insect activity on Sam,

but... come on, Lynda's in a wheelchair.

[GRUNTS]

LYNDA: First, you take my
vest, now my wheelchair.

I mean, this is starting
to feel like harassment.

WILLOWS: I would've
thought you'd be happy

to help find whoever k*lled
the father of your child.

Or maybe not.

We know that Benji was cheating on you.

You shouldn't presume to
know our relationship.

FINADO: We also know
that Benji registered

for a change of address at the DMV.

Detective Chavez heard that he
was planning to leave your agency.

You were losing the father of your child

and your biggest cash cow.

That just must've made you crazy.

Benji's been a handful
from the day I met him.

Till the day he d*ed.

In a fight with Sam
Carriman to the death.

Now, we don't blame him entirely.

We're pretty sure that
Sam att*cked first.

I-I know they didn't get along,

- but why would they...
- WILLOWS: Come on, Lynda.

They att*cked each other,

but they didn't wall themselves up.

Wait, you think I did?

I've got a broken ankle.

[CHUCKLES] I'm stuck in a
wheelchair, and I'm pregnant.

[SIGHS]

"Them's the breaks.

"Our fearless leader
got swept off her feet,

but she is rolling with the punches."

According to this post,

you broke your ankle eight weeks ago.

With that brace, at this point,

I'd bet that ankle isn't
causing you any trouble at all.

It would explain why your
vest got snagged on a nail

five centimeters too high for you to hit

while you were sitting
in your wheelchair.

You left that evidence behind
while you were standing up.

All you know is that my vest
was in that guest house.

FINADO: And your wheelchair.

[CLEARS THROAT]

On a black seat, blood spatter,

to the naked eye, it's invisible,

but with a little help from luminol...

Officer, lights, please.

Oh, it lights up like the Strip.

WILLOWS: Only way the blood can
get on that seat in that pattern

is when you are out of your
chair during the fight.

So, what happened that night, Lynda?

Fine. We'll tell you a story.

You saw Benji and Dolly

coming back to the party
after their rendezvous.

Benji was a serial cheater.

That was the last straw.

Phone records show that
you called Sam Carriman.

Somehow, you convinced him
to help you k*ll Benji.

WILLOWS: Maybe you offered
him the role of a lifetime.

Sinatra in Vegas.

But it all went wrong in a hurry.

Oh, Lynda, what is it now?

I told you, it's over.

FINADO: And you were left with
what looks like two dead bodies.

WILLOWS: Bet that
wasn't part of the plan.

My guess?

You used the dolly the
construction crew left behind

to put them in the wall.

That explains the tracks
we found in the plastic.

Vest at the crime scene.

Your perfume on Sam's body.

Your feather in Sam's nose.

Victims' blood all over your wheelchair.

You had all kinds of motive

to want Benji dead.

Benji...

[CRYING]

He broke my heart.

He was gonna ruin my business.

He humiliated me with Doug.

Was I supposed to let
him just walk away?

Sam wasn't supposed to get hurt.

Best laid plans.

You know...

you can only pretend for so long, Lynda.

End of the day, you are who you are,

a k*ller.

[HANDCUFFS CLICK]

[SIGHS] For the record,
I figured it out.

I like to think I helped.

[SCOFFS] With the impersonators.

I figured out why it was
bothering me so much.

It, uh, it hit a little
too close to home.

What are we talking about here, Beau?

Um... You like to dress up as
Iron Man in your free time?

No, not Iron Man. Science Dad.

Every birthday, I-I get a mug
with a science pun on it.

Every holiday, I get a new plaid shirt.

Every year.

I mean, do you think I would
choose this for myself?

- Yeah, yeah.
- People see me in a certain way.

And-and I'm-I'm comfortable with it.

Hell, I lean into it.

We all have our roles to play, right?

It took me a while to understand
that people like Doug Pfefferman...

They were just leaning into
what they were comfortable with.

Does this mean you're going
to expand your comfort zone?

- Uh, maybe Hawaiian shirts?
- Let's not be rash.

[RAJAN AND ROBY CHUCKLE]

Catherine and Beau make a good team.

So, you're happy with how your
partner system's working out, hmm?

I am. Yeah.

No. Everything's good.

[PHONE RINGS]

Is that the review board?
What did they decide?

About to find out.

[SIGHS]

ZHAO: A decision in this matter
has not been easy to arrive at,

but considering all the facts presented

and Mr. Folsom's own testimony...

... we are of the opinion

that termination is an
appropriate course of action.

- Mr. Folsom...
- ROBY: Undersheriff, if I may.

Dr. Roby. Of course.

ROBY: This board should
know how seriously I take

Mr. Folsom's transgressions.

I am his harshest critic.

Now, allow me to be
his fiercest defender.

If you render this judgment,
it will be a travesty.

Josh Folsom is one of the best CSIs

I've ever worked with.

And if we lose him, it will
be an incalculable loss.

Do not... Do not make that mistake.

Dr. Roby, am I...

am I to understand that you
would protest his dismissal?

ROBY: Protest does not begin
to describe what I will do.

Uh...

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

[CLEARS THROAT]

Mr. Folsom.

You are ultimately under
Dr. Roby's purview.

No one here knows her
job better than she does.

You will be suspended without
pay for a period of one month.

- [SIGHS]
- ZHAO: If... we see you here again,

I assure you, it will be the last time.

I thank the members of the review board.

We stand adjourned.

I can't help feeling I might've
been played, Max.

That's fine.

But if Josh Folsom puts a
toe out of line after this,

it's not just his job at stake.

You know that, right?

Max, I-I can't thank you enough.

Stop.

When you return back to the lab,

it will be as a CSI Level I.

You are not allowed
to cross the street...

- ... unless I know about it.
- I understand.

I'm out on a limb for you here, Josh.

Don't make me regret it.

I won't. You know I won't.

We'll see.